Dolce & Gabbana appoints Havas to global media account

Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana has hired Havas Media Group as its global media agency partner, following a competitive review.

Dentsu's Carat was the incumbent, however media planning and buying for fragrances had been managed by Shiseido and fashion brands managed internally.

Campaign understands Havas Media beat MediaCom to the business. Other agencies invited to pitch included Mindshare, Starcom and OMD.

The remit includes media strategy, planning, co-ordination and digital activation for more than 20 markets, including Italy, Germany, Russia, Spain, the UK, the US and the Middle East. Havas Media’s Italy office will lead the work. 

Dolce & Gabbana spent €54.2 million (£45 million) on advertising, licensing and promotions in the fiscal year to March 2021, which was down €93 million from FY20.

The brand, which has its headquarters in Milan, manufactures high-end clothing and accessories for women, men and children, jewellery, watches, beauty products and homewares. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Dolce & Gabbana, a brand revered for its creativity, boldness and innovation—all things we are equally passionate about at Havas Media Group,” Havas Media Group Italy chief executive Stefano Spadini said. 

“We have shown value, commitment and energy with the support of proprietary tools able to seize the opportunities of the challenging media scenario. We look forward to enhancing Dolce&Gabbana’s brand essence.”   

Havas Media Group global chief executive Peter Mears added: “Our Havas Media Group team brings an innate understanding of the brand’s culture, along with the right capabilities, category experience and talent to deliver against the client’s growth priorities."

In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana courted controversy in China after it ran a series of ads ahead of a Shanghai fashion show that depicted Chinese model Zuo Ye struggling to eat pizza, cannoli and pasta with chopsticks.

The creative was criticised for being culturally insensitive and employing racial stereotyping, causing Chinese retailers to pull Dolce & Gabbana products from its shelves. It has struggled to shake off the reputational damage in the world’s fastest-growing market.

The brand's global sales in FY22 are expected to grow by 25% to €1.25 billion (£1 billion), which is below pre-pandemic levels of €1.35 billion as it recovers from the impacts of the pandemic and losses in China.